Tornado Bed: the hardware, part 1

Here is the bed hardware, donated by Jason Herrick. The hardware consists of four pairs of male/female connectors.

You know, sometimes things just take a while, especially when you need to do something important and getting it right the first time is critical. Such was the case with the Tornado Bed over the past two weeks. I am specifically talking about cutting the mortises on each end of the side rails. I had just spent about $100.00 on material for the rails so making a mistake at this point would be a bodacious set back. And, I had not made this kind of cut in end grain in ages. Therefore, I decided to take my time with this process and as a result, two weeks have slipped by since my last update (I also had many non-woodworking events which kept me out of the shop).

I contemplated the best way to cut the mortises in the rail end grain. It would be great if I could simply pick up an extra sharp chisel and quickly knock out the needed mortises. But I am not that good with a chisel. So, I decided to make a template and use my router, outfitted with a collar, to make the cuts.

I grabbed a scrap piece of MDF and after some fussing with the template I created, a proper fit was achieved and the mortises then proceeded. All photos are clickable for a larger view. Here is how it went…

The items needed to cut the mortises: the template and router equipped with a collar and a 1/4" straight cutting bit. I clamp the template to end of the rails; the collar rides against the template and the bit cuts the required profile.

Here I have temporarily attached the hardware to the rail using sheetrock screws. I'll use more substantial screws later. Note the tight fit of the mortise - I used a chisel to clean up the cut left by the router creating a tight fit.

Screws don't bite too well when driven into the end of boards. I easily attached the screws in the photo above with just hand pressure. As you might expect, the joinery for beds need to be extra durable. The joints where the rails meet the head board and foot board are critical ones. To give the screws something more substantial to bite into, I next drill three 3/4" holes into inside of each rail. These holes are then filled with hardwood dowels...

I use by Dad's bench-top drill press and a 3/4" forstner bit to create the holes. Also note that I have removed one of the box beams from my Josh Finn style workbench. The drill press is sitting on top of one of the workbench sawhorses which makes the drill press platform about the same height as my adjacent table saw. This enables me to easily position the long side rails for drilling.

I then glue the hardwood dowels in place and sand them smooth with my random orbit sander.

The heavy duty screws are now driven into hardwood dowels and finally, I have part one of the bed hardware successfully installed.

Next, I'll cut the corresponding mortises in the posts, install their hardware and then it will be time to set the bed up and begin thinking about the finishing touches for the project!

Since the end is in sight, I have begun the process of finding a home for it. Our church is participating in a tornado recovery program for the small community of Sipsey, Alabama (see the Restore Sipsey site by clicking here). Several homes are being built and I hope my bed can help a needy family there.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post eleven in this series.

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Have a question or comment? Leave yours by clicking on the "Comments - post yours here" link below. My email is jobranch@yahoo.com. Consider subscribing via email or RSS by clicking here.

Some popular projects:

1. A bedside table. 2. Beth's built-in. 3. The TV Console project.

Back to work on the Tornado Bed

ith all of the major items on my family to-do list completed, it is time to reflect a little. We had a great time on vacation. The condo we rented in Panama City Beach, Florida, could have been the all time best for us. It featured a somewhat panoramic view of the Gulf of Mexico and the shore line looking west from our 15th floor unit. Like most of the high-rise condominiums in the area, this one was fairly new.

A view looking west from our living room. Imagine the stunning view considering the Gulf front sliding doors out of view to the left and two more windows to the right of these - awesome! Photo: Jane Bell.

The shore line at dusk. Our condo was an end unit which had a balcony that wrapped around three sides of it (note the balcony railing in the first photo). Photo: Jane Bell.

Then, once we returned from the beach, it was time to turn our full attention towards moving our daughter back to the University of Alabama. Part of the process included me building a contraption which would raise her bed so some storage units could slide underneath.

The SketchUp illustration of the "Bed Lift". Made of pine, it eventually was painted black. The bed frame which sits on top of this is the inexpensive metal variety.

Here is a close-up of the joinery on the rear corner posts. It was my hope that letting in the cross members would add some rigidity to the piece.

With the move accomplished, it is time to get my basement shop back in order and get back to the Tornado Bed.

Fabricating the rails
The next step in building the bed is to fabricate the side rails that join the foot board to the head board. Each rail will be formed from two 8' 1" x 8"s glued together. The finished rails will be 82" long, so before adding glue, I inspect each board for pleasing grain and note any defects or damage. I then mark which section of each board I'll use. Glue is spread over the face of one board and then the two are screwed together to ensure they don't slide around during clamping. This glue-up calls for a lot of clamps...

Fortunately I did not have to buy more clamps. Here I use every small clamp I own to glue together two long boards which will form a side rail.

After removing the clamps and cutting both rails to width, I clamp them together and sand their edges.

Next, I needed to cut the rails to length. I wasn't sure my panel cutting jig would be able to handle boards this long, but the cuts went very well.

With the rails cut to width and length, I need to complete the sanding by running my sander over the faces of each rail. I start with 100 grit paper and work my way up to 220 grit. Note the difference between the sanded area in the lower right and the adjacent un-sanded area.

I need to add a cleat to the inside of each rail. This cleat will support the slats which in turn will provide a base for the box spring and mattress. I selected two 8' 1" x 2" sticks that had warped something fierce by the time I got around to using them. So, I cut them up into smaller pieces and took the warp out of them.

Here are the two rails ready for the bed hardware.

This week, I'll be working on attaching the hardware to the rails as well as the corresponding piece to the head board and foot board. Should be exciting work.

An important note about donors
So far I’ve had a number of people pass positive comments to me about this project. Thank you. It is the least I can do when disaster strikes so close to home.

I would also add that there have been many people who have supported this effort through donations. Building this bed without financial support would have been difficult.

The following people have made donations to this project and I would like to say a big heart felt thank you. The lumber and supplies shown in this post alone cost about $100.00, so your monetary support has been vital. I have received donations from the following people:

• Mark and Amy LeJeune


• Steve and Jane Bell


• Jack and Mary Branch


• Betty Branch


• Jim Branch


• Jason Herrick


• James and Susan Dunlap


• Mary Willis

Your support has helped cover a significant part of the cost of this bed, so again, thank you.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post ten in this series.

________________________

Have a question or comment? Leave yours by clicking on the "Comments - post yours here" link below. My email is jobranch@yahoo.com. Consider subscribing via email or RSS by clicking here.

Some popular projects:

1. Pediment picture frames. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Free on Friday, #2

elcome to the second in a series of give-always at woodfever.net. This month, we have a DVD from the kind people at Fine Woodworking magazine. This DVD should interest a number of woodworkers because it shows how Matt Kenney made a gigantic workbench. Called simply enough, “Monster Workbench,” this video shows the step-by-step process of building this behemoth and includes the digital plans needed for constructing it.

One day I’d like to have a bench like this. Made of hard maple, it is designed for both the hand tool and power tool woodworker. It features a large twin screw vise, an adjustable plane stop, and holes strategically located for hold fasts. Best of all, Matt presents a “stress free” process for flattening the large top – something I need to see since flattening is what keeps me from making a bench like this.

The DVD runs 34 minutes and is currently sale priced at FWW.com for $22.95. Read more about the DVD by clicking here. One lucky woodworker will win it free of charge.

Here is how this will work. I'll close submissions at noon Central time on Saturday, August 6th, and will update this post with the winner's name as soon as I can. The winner will be chosen with the help of Random.org. An email will then be sent asking for the winner's mailing address. I'll forward that to FWW who will then ship the DVD.

One submission per email, and this promotion is limited to residents of the USA and Canada. Good luck and a BIG THANK YOU to Fine Woodworking magazine!

And the winner is...
V. Costolo
Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry.

________________________

Have a question or comment? Leave yours by clicking on the "Comments - post yours here" link below. My email is jobranch@yahoo.com. Consider subscribing via email or RSS by clicking here.

Some popular projects:

1. The Massive Bookcase. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project